Konsforrodare… Swedish Riot Grrrl

Swedish Konsforrodare bring a feminist sentiment back to the European music scene with a quiet, moody vengeance.

It’s safe to say that what has been missing from the music scene of late is a good old fashioned riot grrrl band. Finally, Mooks everywhere can rejoice in the fact that the genre is once again budding. From the little town of Lulea, Sweden come the hypothetical love-child of Sleater-Kinney and Bratmobile, and they call themselves Konsforrodare (I’ll leave the attempts at pronunciation to radio DJs and native speakers). Literally translated, the Swedish tongue-twister means “betrayers of gender”. An apt name considering that for this foursome, art and politics are intrinsically intertwined.

Refreshingly, Konsforrodare are not an all girl-band either. Member Robin explains the band’s politics as anti-patriarchal to the core. “All god damn whiteness, all male norms, all misogyny in society that should be betrayed and left to die. To do that, to betray… in the spaces one can is important. It feels good when we do. That we can do.” And with their music, Konsforrodare successfully do this. Their sound manages to be hauntingly gothic and ethereal while also combining indie melodies with memorable lyrics. Soundwise, Konsforrodare are comparable to Savages, new Brit feministas on the mainstream scene.

Their new single, Raging River, is a stunning preview of what to expect from their up-and-coming album. The beautifully penned lyrics have all the quiet violence of a Sylvia Plath poem. Women, they say, possess a subtlety too delicate for the misogynist male to comprehend; “You can’t feel my marks and carvings. The water, the sound.” Metaphorical for the river, women have a power and strength that should not be underestimated. A personal favourite moment is the wailed insistence from the lead singer, “I don’t make music with my crotch.” Lyrical genius. By the time the soaring chorus comes around, the vocals have elevated to those of female howlers Kate Bush or Florence Welsh. This raging river is one that threatens to grow to a fully fledged storm.

Catch Konsforrodare’s debut album Curse All Law from the 25th of September.